The government has taken concrete steps towards reviving Juapong Textiles, with plans for a public-private partnership expected to be rolled out in the coming months, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has said.
In an interview, Ablakwa said the Minister for Trade and Industry had formally communicated government’s commitment to restoring the once-thriving state-owned textile factory, citing President John Mahama’s long-standing interest in its revival. At its peak, Juapong Textiles employed about 70,000 workers and has the potential to create more than 100,000 jobs if fully modernised, he noted.
Ablakwa said the revival would require new equipment and technological upgrades, adding that government procurement could make the factory commercially viable. He proposed that uniforms for prisons, the military, schools, Immigration, and the Fire Service be sourced locally from Juapong Textiles and Akosombo Textiles.
“Anytime we import fabrics and wax prints from abroad, we are shipping out jobs,” he said, arguing that local production would curb job losses and strengthen Ghana’s manufacturing base.
According to Ablakwa, the Trade Ministry has already identified an investor for the project, with a PPP arrangement expected to be finalised soon.
Beyond industrial revival, the North Tongu lawmaker highlighted major infrastructure developments in his constituency. He confirmed the completion of the Juapong–Dume road and said the Juapong–Podoe–Abutia road had been included in the president’s priority road projects. The Aveme–Asuchare road, he added, has also been awarded under the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme.